Tag: Chris Gimenez

Don’t Believe Everything The Guardians Tell You, And Stop Picking On Ramirez

In this new age of media coverage, the messenger is certainly controlling the narrative, and sports is no different. We watch the telecasts of the Cleveland Guardians and we and several others call it the “propagandcasts” because it you watch, you certainly get a skewed message.

The picture is rosier if Chris Gimenez is the game’s color analyst, but that’s another subject for another day.

One of the things the announcing team is pounding through our head is that the offense is much better since the trades for Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe were made. To an extent, it is true,

Cleveland has averaged 4.6 runs per game since August 1st, compared to 3.9 before that date. However, they still rank 27th in the sport in scoring ahead of just the Angels, Blue Jays, and Mariners. In addition, they’ve also been shutout six times since the trading deadline. So, the offense has become a bit “feast or famine”, in a sport where consistency is most important.

The major league average OPS is currently 718. Right now, the Guardians have two players over that figure and crazily they are both rookies, Chase DeLauter at 830 and Travis Bazzana at 721. Jo Adell has a 729 OPS with the Guardians, but including his time with the Angels, his figure is 696.

So, Steven Vogt gets to write just two better than average offensive players in his lineup every night. Keep in mind that before Bazzana’s big game on Tuesday, he was below average too. Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Angel Martinez are close, but still below the league average.

And of course, since the All-Star break, Kwan has a tremendous 856 OPS, a big number considering he doesn’t hit for power.

Certainly, Ramirez hasn’t had his usual great season, and we are sure he is not 100% healthy due to the surgery to remove the broken hamate bone. However, it’s not like he is dreadful and calls for him to be removed from the lineup and get ready for next year are just silly.

Even with him not being healthy, he is still one of the better hitters currently available. His 24 doubles are second on the team (DeLauter has 28) and his on base percentage is 5th best. In fact, we wish he would take more walks, particularly with his injured hand. He still goes out of the strike zone too often in our opinion to try to get runs home, although the home run pop isn’t there.

Meanwhile, the front office puts a guy like Petey Halpin or David Fry in the lineup and no one bats an eye. Neither is remotely close to being as productive as the seven-time all star, who also by the way, is fourth in the AL in stolen bases.

And note to the viewers of the telecasts, giving Halpin a nickname like “Speedy Petey” doesn’t make him a good hitter. It’s just another attempt to divert your attention that the team has given 173 plate appearances to someone with an OPS under 600.

For the season, the Guardians have given 689 plate appearances to hitters with an OPS under 600, Halpin actually doesn’t have the most, that honor (?) goes to Daniel Schneemann with 287.

We checked the Twins (at random), and they’ve given under 500 plate appearances to hitters in that category.

We guess our point is the offense is better for sure, but it’s a long way from being in the top half of the game.

The Tribe Front Office Didn’t Believe in This Year’s Team.

Last night, the Cleveland Indians played the biggest game of the season and Terry Francona had to fill out a lineup card that included veteran Chris Gimenez at 1B and rookie Tyler Holt in right field.

We don’t think that was plan back in April.

Look, while Francona can be criticized for some in-game decisions, the reality of the situation is he has kept a flawed baseball team in the race for a post-season spot until the final week of the season.  You also have to credit his pitching coach, Mickey Callaway, for putting together a starting rotation that has been dominant throughout August and September.

It is apparent that at the end of July, when the trading deadline takes place, the front office didn’t see the dominant pitching coming.  The Indians were 53-56 and sat six games behind the second wild card team, the Toronto Blue Jays, and GM Chris Antonetti decided to deal free agents to be Asdrubal Cabrera and Justin Masterson, and basically get prospects in return.

To be fair, neither Cabrera nor Masterson were having good seasons, but in dealing those two, Antonetti didn’t address the Tribe’s weaknesses, mainly a right-handed bat and pitching help.

The inability to address the former led to Gimenez and Holt being thrust into a race for a playoff spot.

Antonetti and his boss, team president Mark Shapiro, can say anything he wants, but it is clear he didn’t have any faith that his ballclub would arrive at the last week of the regular season with a chance to make the playoffs.

We wonder what Francona thinks about the lack of confidence in his players.

When the Tribe made an August surge, going 18-9 for the month, the front office brought in some reinforcements to help out when players suffered injuries.  Gimenez was brought in when Yan Gomes suffered a concussion, J. B. Shuck was eventually added in September after David Murphy and Nick Swisher went out of the lineup.

Those two have combined to go 1 for 30 while wearing a Cleveland uniform.

Meanwhile, players like Josh Willingham (Kansas City), Adam Dunn (Oakland), and John Mayberry Jr, (Toronto) were all moved during August, and while none of them have been difference makers down the stretch, they aren’t 1 for 30 either.

The point is even on July 31st, six games out isn’t enough to toss in the proverbial white towel.  Maybe Antonetti didn’t see Corey Kluber becoming arguably the American League’s best pitcher, nor did he see Carlos Carrasco turning into a right-handed version of Sandy Koufax, but you don’t know if you will ever get that type of dominant starting pitching in 2015.

That’s why you have to go for a post-season spot whenever you have the opportunity.  And that’s why the front office failed the players, the manager, and the fan base, who want to be convinced the organization wants to win.

While the rotation looks good for the future, we all know pitching isn’t the most stable commodity.  It is doubtful that Kluber will pitch this well next year, and who knows about the rest of the rotation, who really don’t have a track record in the major leagues.

And whatever you want to say about Terry Francona, there is no question that he knows how to get the most out of his players.  His belief and trust of his players offset any weaknesses he has in the in-game strategy department, and he squeezes the most out of his guys.

It’s too bad the front office didn’t understand this.  As close as they came this season, any help that would have come in could have put the Tribe back in the playoffs this fall.

MW